Summer Breeze
by KuroNekoo
Summary: The recess gang went to college and everything seems to be alright and normal. But things change when Spinelli suddenly disappears. The gang is back in action to find their friend. But what will they find?
1. Summer Day

_Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or Disney_

_English isn't my nativ language so if you see some mistakes please tell me so I can fix them._

_Pairing: TJ x Spinelli_

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„You know, we could get in real trouble for sneaking out from Mr. Parkers lecture over the architectonic virtues of historical monuments TJ."

It was a late Thursday afternoon and the sun was slowly making her way to the evening. The sunlight dipped all the edges of the town into her bright light. They sat next to each other on a grassy hill and watched how a swarm of birds flew over their heads out of the trees as the young freckled men turned his head towards his spiritedly female companion.

„Oh come on Spinelli, you should know that I always have a-„  
„A backup plan I know, I know. Since the day we met, you always came up with the most daring plans. Where do you store all this crazy ideas Teej? "She said while punching him in the arm. „Ouch, don't ruin my arm Madam Fist I still need it. "He said with a skeptically look on his face.

While rubbing his arm he added: „It's just my thing, like it's your thing to cover my arm with bruises it seems. "  
This caused her to laugh. „Oh you deserved it Romeo. Now we're even for your little mark here!  
She pointed at her neck where her skin had a dark red-purple smudgy spot.  
„I had to wear a scarf all day, so nobody could see it. Do you know how hot it is? "

„Hey I was a vampire and only your blood was able to end this cruel curse my sweet goddess of darkness. " He gave her a mischievously grin before he kissed Spinelli on the cheek.

„You're a jerk, that's what you are. " She snickered and shoved him away.  
For all the time they knew each other, and that was since kindergarten, it was the time in high school which brought TJ and Spinelli together. First it was strange to date one of your best friends, but they were happy together.

In the end, they went even both to the same college as well as Vince and Mikey. Gus joined the army and bloomed to be a great soldier. For Gretchen, there was a big fuss which scholarship she should take. Almost every college wanted her, and even if she and Gus weren't with the others, they still stayed as often as possible in touch.

With a sigh Spinelli laid down in the grass and enjoyed the warm summer breeze, which had a nice scent of grass, earth and flowers.

It was quite for a while, which was only interrupted by the birds in the trees and the chirping of the grills, before Spinelli realized that TJ was staring at her.

„Is there something on my face or why do you look at me like a doofus?"  
„Well I thought how sexy you were even with grass in your hair, babe. "He answered before he laid down beside her and watched how her cheeks turned slightly red.

„You're imagining things again, silly." She said before she leaned in to give him a quick kiss and while she was at it, she swept off his red baseball cap teasingly.

„I guess then I'm imagining your blush as well, hmm?" He said with an amused grin, as he picked up his baseball cap and started to remove some grass out of her raven, black hair. He still had his old red baseball cap, it always was his trademark and so it stayed over all the years. It was a little bit worn out and the flashy red had faded slightly, but he loved his cap nonetheless.

„Yeah I think so." She answered with a nod and sighed relieved as he only rolled his eyes at her.  
„Okay, another topic. Did you got the stuff I asked you for?" A sly expression came across TJ's face, as he straightened up again and put his cap to the right spot on his head.

„The most of it. I've got the tape, the itching powder, the posters and that junk from the craft room you wanted. But I didn't got the laxative. There were too many people around the infirmary today." Her eyes were on him, trying to read him, with no success.

„Don't you want to tell me your plan Teej? "

„You have to wait until the rest of the gang meet us on Saturday Spin." He helped her to get up and pulled her close to his body into a big hug. „But if you want to know, I have plans for the two of us as well. I can tell you those if you want." He said with a seductive grin.

With a smile she raised an eyebrow at him. „I think I can imagine those plans just fine." She said while rolling her eyes at him and giving him another quick kiss. He gazed into her eyes with a smile. „Isn't it tender? "

She freed herself out of his arms and made a few steps toward the hill. „Tender like a rollercoaster my friend. But you should be careful my king of pranks, I'm dangerous. "She said, knowing that he was now standing behind her. He looked down at her pondering for a moment in thoughts.

Spinelli was 5 foot 6 inches tall while he himself was 5 foot 9. Just like Gretchen calculated back in fourth grade with her little computer friend Galileo. He was looking forward in anticipation to see his friends again at Saturday. He had a few good pranks planned and was sure that his friends would come up with some good ideas too. Maybe a little basketball game with Vince? Or maybe eating ice cream together while chattering about college and stuff? Just taking a nice break of studying and anything else.

TJ was still starring at Spinellis back as his face brightened up once again. Smirking deviously before he swept Spinelli off her feet into the air. She didn't saw it coming and let out a scream of surprise.

„TJ! What the heck! Let me down! What are you doing!? "But she only heard him laughing as he started to spin with her in his arms. "How dangerous are you now my wild predator?" He asked snickering. „TJ! Stop it! H-Hey! I'm getting dizzy Teej! Hey! "She yelled. "Oh come on, you don't get dizzy so easily Spin. I know that." He answered. Such a silly man! „Stop it! Let me down immediately! "

He snickered one more time before he stopped spinning. „Right away? Ok but don't blame me Spin! "It dawned on her that this wasn't going to end well, but it already was too late.

With one swift motion and to unexpectedly, the king of pranks let go of her. She fell down into the grass and too close to the hillside so she let out another scream as she rolled down the hill. TJ, who was just as surprised, couldn't help her quick enough. That really was unexpectedly.

So he craned his finger in the air and yelled in a heroic and silly tone with exaggerated gesture "I'm on an important mission! To save my Lady! Don't fear! TJ is here! "And with that he jumped after her, rolling down the grassy hill.

Spinelli, who already arrived at the bottom and gasping for breath, heard TJ and watched in shock how he rolled in her direction. „Oh no!" Quickly she rolled on her stomach to get up, but it was too late and TJ crashed into Spinelli, rolling three times more with her until he was on top of her body.

Spinelli groaned. „Geez TJ you're heavy." He looked at her with a mischievously grin on his lips, before he yelled with an overdramatic voice: „Oh no! She doesn't get enough air! She need mouth to mouth! I'll save you!" Now heavily laughing, Spinelli tried to block TJ with his smoochy, kissing lips who tried eagerly to get to hers. „I'm not dead yet you wannabe hero!" she pushed against his chest to get free, but he pressed her down with his weight and kissed every piece of skin he could get.

After several minutes of having a wild lovers duel, they finally came to an end, whipping of all the dirt and grass which still was sticking onto them. In the distance they heard a bell tower announcing that it must be 3:00 PM by now and looked at each other.

"I guess we should go back to campus Teej." Spinelli said while pulling on her clothes.

"Yeah maybe you're right. There are still some things to do and we still need the laxative. But don't you worry I think I have a plan to get it on Saturday." Together they made their way back to the college and while TJ had to return some books to the library, Spinelli needed to finish her essay so she walked to some free tables outside and started to work on it. She already pushed it at the edge of her work schedule so she had to write it now if she didn't wanted to fail in Mrs. Longlimes class.

Hours went by and the sky turned from blue to a radiant red-orange to welcome the evening when TJ walked over to her.

"So here you are. I already wondered where you were hiding from me." He said with a grin. She was drawing little skulls into her sketchbook as she looked up to him. "Me? Hiding? You must have ran against a wall or something Teej" she answered smiling when he placed a paper bag in front of her nose.

"Here. I managed to take the last two slices for you before Mikey could devour them too." He said when she opened the bag. "Pizza! Great! Thanks Teej I'm starving!" She said already eating.

He sat down on the seat next to her and gave a short glance at his phone before he would look at her papers. "So you finally decided to do your essay huh? Nice but I don't think you get creativity points for the skull doodles, Spin." Licking her fingers from her meal, she gave him a quick sarcastic look.

He stretched himself a bit and reached into his pocket to pull out another bag, but a lot smaller and grey. "I've got you something today. I know that you think it's cheesy but I immediately thought at you when I saw it" was his answer to her confused look when he gave her the small bag.

She emptied the bag into the palm of her hand as a small necklace fell out of it. It was black with a skull as charm and the eye sockets seemed to stare back at her. It wasn't something expensive but for her it was beautiful. "TJ are you drunk? To buy me something like that? W-what were you thinking?" She stared at him in disbelieve.

"Soooo…. You like it? I mean it's nothing special so it shouldn't be a big deal if you ask me." He said while scratching the back of his ear. Spinelli was still staring at him. "I should punch you for giving me something like this!" but instead of punching him she gave him a short and quick kiss on the lips. "Don't do it again understood?"

"So you DO like it" He grinned.

After helping her to close the necklace around her neck he stared at her for a long while before he commented it with "Just the 'I' dot on 'Spinelli' if you ask Me."

"Well I certainly didn't ask you, but thanks anyway." She answered while he told her how he had spent his time with the guys, fooling around, studying and watching Mikey how many Jelly Beans could fit into his mouth.  
"Great… and I missed all the fun!" She glanced angrily down on her papers and stuffed them into her backpack before she stood up.

"Maybe next time, Spin. Schoolwork is important too and you know that." He picked up his own backpack and hurried to Spinelli who already started to walk off. This was just the way how she tried to overplay her feelings but TJ hadn't missed the smile which slipped over her face. He snickered as he reached her to be able to walk beside her.

As they arrived at the dorms the sun and the warmth was gone and the night was slowly beginning as the street lanterns turned on.

"See you tomorrow Spin." TJ said as he winked at her and went inside of the Boys dorm. She still was standing on the spot watching him disappear as she breathed in the cold air. "Unbelievable how cold the nights could be in the beginning of summer here." She thought while she made her way to the entrance of the Girls dorm as she stopped suddenly while she digged through her pockets.

"Where is my phone?" Quickly she searched in all her pockets and her backpack but her phone wasn't there. "God damn it I must have forgotten my phone by the tables! "She jumped down the steps of the building and ran along the path back towards the tables.  
The upcoming wind was howling through the top of the trees, taking all the warmth from her body and leaving her with goose bumps on her way.

"Why did I left my jacket on my bed today? Oh because it's such a nice and warm day!" she mocked herself as the tables came into her view. There it was, still lying on the bench where she had forgotten it. There wasn't much light in the courtyard but it surely was her phone. She picked it up and only saw for a second the dimmed reflection behind her on the phone before everything went pitch black.


	2. Rain

_Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or Disney_

_English isn't my nativ language so if you see some mistakes please tell me so I can fix them._

_Thanks for the reviews guys ; u ;_

* * *

**FRIDAY**

"Rise and shine Teej! I already finished my jogging and you are still sleeping dude?" This was Vince LaSalle speaking. TJ's roommate, the most athletic guy he ever knew and sadly he was kind of a morning person. TJ yawned and stretched his body, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.  
"Geez, Vince do you have to be such an early bird?" He asked with another yawn, trying to get cozy in his pillow once more but as response Vince only threw his new baseball at TJ who was too sleepy to dodge it. "Hey, you don't have to be so unforgiving dude!" He mumbled and made his way out of bed, throwing back the baseball to Vince who caught it immediately.

"It's not my fault that you overslept, Teej. You really could need a better alarm clock. I mean you don't even hear mine." He said while he put his baseball back to its place on a shelf on his side of the room. TJ who was halfway at his closet turned to Vince at once. "Overslept!? What time is it?" He swiftly peeked on the clock above their door. It was 9:25 AM. "Oh whomps! I'm late!" He shouted and ran to his closet and dressed himself as fast as he could, nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Relax man that guy, uhmm Chris? Yeah I think Chris is his name, from the room next to us. He has the same professor as you right? He told me that the old man had a car accident, nothing serious, but he didn't make it to class today as far as I know." Vince was scratching the back of his head unsure if this really was a 'good' message. TJ who now looked slightly dumbfounded was so distracted by the message that he finally lost his balance and fell on his butt.

"Ouch! W-wait, what? Man couldn't you tell me that sooner?" He complained while getting up again.  
"Yeah it's not like you gave me much time to explain it, Teej." Vince countered. "Besides it's Friday and you should have seen your face when I told you that the old Professor wouldn't come" He snickered and TJ snickered soon with him. "Oh was it like this?" He pulled a goofy grimace which caused both of them to laugh. "No, no it was more like this!" Vince pulled an even more exaggerated face then TJ, who let out another laughter, wiping away a lint from his shirt before he placed his baseball cap on his head.

"Anyway I still think you should be moving now buddy." Vince said with a smirk, picking up his laptop from the desk and unplugging it from its charging cable.

"Yeah you're probably right, see you at lunch?" He asked and continued to get ready. "Sure" Vince answered before TJ was out of the door. He was greeted by rain this morning when he stepped outside. No wonder that his professor had an accident, the rain poured down heavily and soaked TJ within seconds. "How unpleasant." He mumbled. How could Vince seriously go jogging in weather like this!? He thought as he pulled up the collar of his green jacket and made his way to class.

Lessons went by and lunchtime came eventually when TJ searched for the familiar faces of his friends. It didn't took long to find Mikey Blumbergs big frame while Vince was sitting on the opposite site of the table and… where was Spinelli? He greeted both of his friends and sat down with his tray of food. "The rain is raining all around, It falls on field and tree, It rains on the umbrellas here, And on the ships at sea." Mikey said poetically before he bit into his hamburger, chewing with pleasure. "Has anyone seen Spinelli yet? I thought she would be here for lunch." He asked a little confused, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well I haven't seen her today" Vince shrugged. "Maybe she went to the café shop in Hammonds street? I heard they show the upcoming wrestling matches this week." Vince said and shoved a spoon full of meat in his mouth. "Man the kitchen sure could need some advice from Chez Vince. " He said while poking the meat with his fork.

Watching the situation, Mikey patted TJ's shoulder. "Perhaps she's just busy with her art project?" He suggested. "Maybe she's on her period?" Vince teased. " You know how woman are. She's probably texting with Gretchen or something like that and forgot about the time. No big deal. Making female stuff, shopping clothes, brushing her hair, causing grown man to cry like a baby" . Vince uttered while he sipped on his own drink.

"I think what Vince tried to say was: You know how Spinelli is. A travelling soul, like a bee who is searching for the sweet nectar of a flower." Mikey mused with his arms while both TJ and Vince gave him a confused look. "That was definitely not what I 'tried' to say Mikey." Vince said irritated.

"Maybe you guys are right." TJ pondered, but took out his phone regardless to text Spinelli a short 'where are you?' before he carried on to eat his meal.

He received no answer. Time past by and the rain weakened too a drizzle. TJ sat alone at the bar in the café shop, drinking a hot cup full of coffee and looked at his phone. Vince was right they really did show wrestling on the TV which was settled on a wooden shelf behind the bar. The café itself had a modern touch. Colorful but stylish insulation mats adorned the walls in order to dim the noises while the chairs and tables remained white. Beige curtains framed the big shop window and TJ watched the people outside walking through the drizzle. Where could she be? He had no luck at the Girls dorm. Neither Spinelli nor her roommate Sandy was there, and she turned off her phone. Something was wrong… he felt it deep in his guts.

Once he came back to campus, with two new video games and some hygienic products, he decided to try it again at the Girls dorms. He knocked at the door several times when Sandy Fenwick finally opened it. "What do you want Detweiler? Your girlfriend isn't here." She said annoyed. Apparently the goth girl wasn't in a good mood today. "About that, did Spinelli mention some of her plans for today?" He asked politely but she still glared at him with her dark painted eyes. "No. I haven't seen her since yesterday. Are we finished now? I have better things to do then talking to a chump like you." She was about to close the door when TJ pushed it open again. "Hey!" She protested but he cut her off. "Yesterday? What do you mean with 'yesterday'?"

"That I haven't seen her since yesterday! Are you deaf? What is your problem Detweiler!? Is your pretty Ashley cheating on you, or what?" She spat out. He clenched his fists in anger and tried to stay calm but this woman infuriated him too much. "Ok listen! I have enough of this stupid game! Look, I just want to know what you meant with yesterday. I walked on that day with her to the dorms so it doesn't make sense to me. She turned off her phone and she is nowhere to be found. Help me out and I´m all gone." With a deep sigh she opened the door a little more and pointed to the bed on the left side of the room. On top of it there was Spinellis jacket and her laptop, some clothes and a magazine. In three words, it looked messy.

"She didn't sleep here. That stuff was there yesterday too and she didn't showed up today as far as I know. That's all. Kind of weird that she left her jacket but that's not my business." She stated and stared at TJ who just stood there, not knowing what to say. Sandy on the other hand used the opportunity to close the door in front of him. Where is Spinelli?

"So you say she's missing since yesterday evening?" Vince asked TJ who sat on his bed next to Mikey. TJ had called his available friends to an emergency meeting after he returned to the Boys dorm. "Yes. The last time I saw her was yesterday before I went into the Boys dorm. I thought she would go straight to her room but apparently she didn't. I went to her classes but nobody has seen her and she left her jacket on her bed! Have you seen the weather today? Something happened and we have to find out what, Gentleman." They all looked at each other in concern and determination. "Where should we start TJ? In her room?" Mikey asked but TJ shook his head. "No she wasn't in her room so the clues, if there are some, should be outside. I recommend too start the search in front of the dorms." He stood up and walked over to the window between their beds, glaring outside. "But Teej the rain has surely washed away every clue and it will be dark soon. What are you hoping to find?"

"I don't know Vince, but there must be something." He slowly turned around to face his friends, making a few steps towards them. "We need flashlights, eventually rubber gloves, some plastic bags and maybe some umbrellas. So, who is with me?" He asked in pure determination as his friends straightened up at once. "I get the plastic bags and the umbrellas TJ" Mikey put on his jacket and Vince did the same. "I get the flashlights Teej. We will need them." Vince peeked out of the window and back to TJ who was ready to start. "Ok guys, I organize the rubber gloves and we meet in 20 minutes on the front door, understood?" They gave a simple nod and hurried out in the corridor. TJ tilted his head slightly and sighed. "Please be alright, Spin." He whispered before he also left the room.

It was black. Pure darkness everywhere and her body was aching, throbbing in pain as Spinelli woke up.


	3. Police station

_Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or Disney_

_English isn't my nativ language so if you see some mistakes please tell me so I can fix them._

_Sry for the long wait guys_

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**SATURDAY**

The rain was gone and the tension in the room was unbearable. The five friends stared at the plastic bag on the cafeteria table not saying a word until Gretchen pushed her glasses to the right spot and opened the bag. In her hand she held the remaining's of Ashley Spinellis phone. The display was cracked and there was still rain water in the small pieces inside of the phone case which didn't dried over the night. She observed it from all sides before she shoved it back into the plastic bag.

Gretchen Grundler and Gus Griswald had arrived early that day and their hearts sunk in their chests when TJ and the others told them what happened so far and that Spinelli still was missing. It wasn't such a joyful reunion as TJ had hoped for a few days ago and his heart felt as heavy as it could be.

Gretchen broke the silence. "After what I've heard now I would announce my hypothesis what could have happened after TJ went into the building." She pointed on a rough drawing of the building which lay on the table. "I would assume that Spinelli was about to go into the Girls dorm when she realized that she forgot, or maybe lost, her phone on the way. So she turned around and walked the path back. Only that time it was dark and the street lanterns turned on. You guys found the phone in the courtyard as well as Spinelli maybe did, I guess. There aren't many lanterns in that area so-"Gus cut her off. "So the enemy had a perfect disguise in the dark, attacking her from behind and dragging her away. The phone smashes on the ground but it's too dark to see where it landed and they don't have the time to get rid of the evidence. Right Gretch?" He asked when she gave a small nod. "It's the most logical theory. But if they hadn't the time to erase their tracks properly it could be that there are some more left." Gretchen said and looked in the round.

"But why would somebody do such a cruel thing to our Spinelli? What could be the reason for a crime like this?" Mikey asked but nobody wanted to share their thoughts in front of TJ. Spinelli isn't exactly what you call 'ugly'. She has a well formed body and it wouldn't be the first time that a young woman gets attacked in the dark by some perverted stranger. She was tough yes, but the circumstances were against her. Before anybody could say something bad Vince stood up. "I think we should do what Gretch proposed and search for a second time. Maybe we'll find something new in the daylight." To be true, he didn't had much hope on finding something new but Vince didn't wanted to let the mood fall down more than it already was and TJ thanked him silently for this. "I'm going to the police station it's time to report her as missed. I tried to call her parents but they don't answer the phone and maybe we can search through her stuff in her room before the police arrive here. But please be careful." TJ announced as he stood up.

"TJ do you really think we should interfere in the police officers work any further? I mean, if there really is a crime." Mikey asked in concern as all eyes were set on him. "Mikey I know this is a hard situation but I can't sit around and wait until the police makes there move. Spinelli don't disappear just like that! We are six friends and one of us is missing so I'm going to search for her and I believe that we can find her! It's not the first time that we managed such things guys." TJ looked at each single one of his friends and whispered: "We can do this together." This seemed to work as all his friends where caught in thoughts and gave a nod. "Then let's go. We have a lot to do guys." TJ said before he organized the teams.

Gus and Mikey searched the area near the courtyard while Gretchen and Vince convinced Sandy to let them search in their room for clues. TJ himself went to the police station to report Spinelli as missing. When he arrived at the police station everything was silent and empty inside. Where was everybody? He slowly walked over to the counter, looking for a police officer as a faint snoring in the corner caught his attention. Officer Mc Lawrence must had fallen asleep during his paperwork, at least it seemed so until TJ poked his arm and noticed that it was just a game of Sudoku the man had played.

The snoring suddenly stopped when the eyes of the man snapped open and he jumped in his seat, causing TJ to back away quickly, waiting for the man to calm down before he cleared his throat soundly in hope the officer would finally notice him.

Mc Lawrence stared at TJ with wide eyes, wondering where this young man came from so suddenly and how long he was asleep. Good thing it wasn't his boss finding him sleeping here. He thought.

The middle aged man stroked his thin hair with one hand and arranged the papers on his desk with the other before he looked at the young man, which appeared to be a little impatient, behind the counter.

His stubbly beard felt itchy, his workmate was sick at home and he just wanted the day to end, so he could drive home to his wife and have a nice evening. But no he was on duty to watch over the police station while everybody else went to the big fire out of town or patrolled through the streets. He sighed mentally.

"So what can I do for you, boy?" He asked, pulling out his ballpoint pen to make notes if it was necessary. His voice still sounded sleepy but he didn't cared about it as the young man started to tell him a story about a missing girl and hypothetically kidnapping. Mc Lawrence leaned back in his chair, scratching his chin as he listened to TJ's investigations. 'How troublesome.' He thought as he realized that his coffee was cold by now.


	4. Anger

_Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or Disney_

_English isn't my nativ language so if you see some mistakes please tell me so I can fix them._

* * *

Gretchen glanced at her wrist watch, patiently checking the area for her friends. They all agreed to meet up at 11:30 AM at the outside tables of the small café shop on the campus to exchange their knowledge of the past two hours. She sat down on her seat and sipped on a fresh cup of cappuccino while she waited.

Vince LaSalle had strolled over to the bathroom a minute ago so she had a moment of complete silence for herself. At least that's what she thought before a loud crash of metal pulled her attention to the trash cans on the other side of the street. Mumbling furious quiet curses the men there bent down to line up a dented trash can with the others. Gretchen recognized the young angry men immediately. "TJ!" Gretchen yelled before she quickly rushed over to him. Observing the scene she came to the conclusion that TJ had forcefully kicked the trash can down, sending the content of it all over the place. "TJ!? What's wrong? Did something happen?!" She asked insecure as she bent down to help him pick up the trash.

Huffing out in anger he glared several seconds at her before his features softened again and his gaze went down to the last pieces of trash. Picking them up and throwing them back into the can he stood up and wiped of the dirt on his knees. "Sorry Gretch I didn't meant to startle you. I'm just ... a little upset that's all." He said as he offered her his hand to pull her up on her feet.

"A 'little' upset? Dude you kicked that trash can at least 3 yards wide!" Vince interfered as he crossed the road and walked over to his friends.

Gretchen gave Vince an annoyed stare. "You could have helped if you've been here for so long you know?" She criticized him. Backing of a little Vince held up his hands in a apologetic manner. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry. But I just washed my hands and then I've got a text from Mikey and Gus asking us to come over to the courtyard. I think they found something. But… first off I would like to know what happened to TJ. Why are you so angry buddy?" Vince asked while turning to his best friend.

Keeping his eyes fixed on a bird that sat nearby in a tree TJ furrowed his eyebrows before he answered. "They don't help us. It's not important enough! It… It just whomps!" He turned his head to his friends to see their confused faces. "What do you mean TJ?" Gretchen asked as she pushed her glasses up.

"The police! They won't help us!" TJ shouted but instantly regretted it, seeing his friends flinch at the volume including the people around the café shop. Quickly clearing his throat he scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Sorry again. It just makes me so mad. The officer said that there aren't enough clues to imply Spinellis disappearance to be a crime and that missed people show up sooner or later on their own. He didn't even bother to help me! Or maybe I should say he didn't WANTED to help me. That guy nearly fell asleep again when I told him about Spinelli! I… I just can't believe it. Back in the days when we were kids I could accept that a story about lasers and ninjas sounded ridicules to the police but now I just think that there is no use in relying in our justice system at all." TJ finished with a disappointed tone in his voice.

Slightly shocked about TJ's rant Gretchen closed her eyes and sighed as Vince stepped closer to his friend, petting his back. Gretchen knew a lot about the justice system and that they couldn't life without it, but sometimes it just needs one lazy human to let it all crash down. She thought while considering a series of robots for the job in the future.

"Hey Teej, we will find Spinelli on our own. We can accomplish everything we want too! We don't need the police, right Gretch?" Vince asked. Snapping out of her robot daydream Gretchen gave a approving nod. "It's true. The past proves that we can accomplish many things together. There isn't just one way of doing it. We will find our own way. Speaking of it… we should probably go now. I guess that Mikey and Gus are still waiting for us." She said as she walked over to the tables to grab her backpack and drinking the rest of her now cold cappuccino.

"She got a point." Vince said as he looked at his phone. "It's almost 12 AM. If we don't hurry Mikey will die of starvation." He joked.

TJ lifted his baseball cap with one hand and ran through his hair with the other. "Right. Let's go guys." Where his only words before he went on ahead of his friends. But before Gretchen could follow him, Vince stopped her. Watching after his best friend he lowered his voice to talk to Gretchen. "Hey Gretch can I talk to you about Teej for a second?" Glancing over to their leader she slowly nodded. "I'm a bit worried over him. I- I mean I'm worried over Spinelli too but I really think that the whole thing is really getting under his skin. You know? Uhm like he's not completely honest with us how bad he really feels. Sure he's angry but I have a feeling that's just the top of it." Looking down on the path they were walking Gretchen thought about his words before she answered. "He's the leader, but Spinelli is also his girlfriend so he tries to keep up the cool act in front of us so we wouldn't worry too much about him. It's a relative normal reaction for the fact of not knowing the actual status of your partner I guess." She said while they arrived at the courtyard.

"Maybe you're right. But we still should watch out for him ok?" He asked her. "Ok." She muttered under her breath before they meet up with Gus.

"Finally you Guys are here! " Gus stated impatiently. "Did you found something?" TJ asked as he stood next to Gus looking around for something special.

Pointing over to the bushes and trees by the fence Gus started moving again. "There are a lot of broken branches by the fence. Looks like somebody forced his way through there." He mentioned before he lead them to the fence.

"By the way, where is Mikey, Gus? I haven't seen him around here and normally the big guy is hard to miss." Vince questioned. "You know which time it is right? He went off to grab some snacks but he should be back very soon." Gus answered as he gestured over to the fence again." I think someone climbed it."

Looking at the broken branches to his feet something caught TJ's eye and he slowly bent down to pick it up. There it was…. Staring right back at him with dark empty eye sockets. A black necklace with a little skull as charm.


	5. The Van

_I'm really, REALLY sorry for the extreme late updates guys. It's just...I suck at writing... I re-read my chapters and feel more then just a little bit unsatisfied. English isn't my nativ language that's why I struggle with writing the story down... BUT I WILL continue this story for sure. I just suck at it ;^; I don't have a beta reader  
_

* * *

She screamed... to no avail... She struggled...but her restraints wouldn't budge...she was completely alone .The only one who was willing to answer her calls was her own voice echoing from the darkness back to her. She couldn't remember how she got here or how much time had passed. Was it already morning? Or maybe even afternoon? She didn't know. Her head ached when she tried to remember anything. Her body felt sore and her limbs where tied together in a painful way. But when she fought against her restrains the rope only cut deeper into her skin.

The bitter metallic taste in her mouth made her feel nauseous. She must have bitten her own tongue when she was unconscious.

She heard single droplets falling down in the distance reminding her how thirsty she was.

Why was she here? She asked herself over and over again with no avail until the final moment came. She heard something… loud and clear. It was the sound of an apparently heavy door and quick steps that leaded into her direction.

She couldn't see a thing but there was someone there. "Who's there?!" Spinelli yelled into the darkness.

There were some more footsteps to hear as suddenly a cold grip yanked her head up and pushed her hard against the stone pillar behind her back.

"Finally awake huh? Let's have a nice little _talk_ Miss Ashley Spinelli."

"Nice? As if…" She said skeptically but retiring.

* * *

After they discovered Spinellis necklace by the fence the group of friends searched for more clues in the area but didn't find any. They almost lost hope when suddenly Gus pointed his finger at a house on the other side of the street.

"Hey look over there!" He shouted to his friends.

Not seeing anything special, TJ gave his friend a confused look. "What's over there Gus? I don't see anything but an old jewelry shop."

"Oh and that surveillance camera under the advertisement board is nothing? It's even turned at our direction." Gus said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Looking at the technical device, Vince furrowed his brows and shook his head. "No way that this camera could possibly record something useful from that distance! Why is it even turned this way? Shouldn't it, I don't know... face the shop door or something?"

"Well that's a good question Vince. Besides, there is no saying that it still works." mentioned Gretchen with a thoughtful look.

"Hm but on the other side...we're out of clues and even if the possibility to find something useful is rather small, it could be worth a try."

With these words Gretchen hurried back to her backpack leaving her friends to follow her. TJ ran up to her side ready to ask her what she was up to but she shushed him instead. "I would prefer not to talk about it on the open street TJ. Let's go inside first. By the way it looks like it's going to rain anytime soon and I don't like my tech to get wet."

Not quite understanding, TJ just nodded as they followed her inside of the main college building. It was only a few minutes later when new rain started to pour down on earth.

* * *

Sitting behind a Laptop Gretchen's fingers raced with incredible speed over the keys. Her eyes where fixed on the monitor. Opening, overwriting and closing many files with ease.

TJ was standing right next to her, looking over her shoulder with furrowed brows. He didn't understood what she was doing, but he just couldn't look away.

"It's not exactly legal to hack into security systems, that's why I didn't wanted to talk about it outside. A while back at my university I did a technology chip reading project and got into some trouble for hacking into the main computer system. They wouldn't have known that it was me, if it wasn't for that guy who heard me when I was talking to my new Galileo notepad. That's why I'm a little bit over-cautious. I hope you can understand."

"Sure thing Gretch. Have you found anything yet?" TJ asked.

"Give me a minute. It seems that the security camera works just fine. But the picture resolution is really low. What time was it when you last saw Spinelli?"

"It was around uhm... 9 PM I guess? I'm not entirely sure." He said while scratching his nose.

Gretchen nodded and typed all the information she had into her laptop. She then scrolled through a list of video files and opened the most fitting file for them all to see. But there was nothing than darkness.

"Everything is black! Oh why does fate play so cruel games with us?" Mikey yelled while he squeezed his bag of Swedish fish chewing candy.

"Calm down I'll brighten up the screen." Gretchen muttered as she adjusted the settings and finally was able to see the view from the security camera. Observing the video footage there was nothing special to see so she speed it up until Vince yelled 'stop'.

"Hey there is something in the back of the screen!" He said pointing at the monitor.

"Oh it's just a white van looking for a parking spot." Mikey mumbled while he ate more of his candy.

They couldn't see if the driver was leaving his car or not through the darkness but things soon became wild when two people in black appeared, quickly opened the back of the van, and threw something big in before vanishing in the van as well. And as quickly as the van had appeared, it had left.

The friends looked at each other in utterly horror. Thinking that something bad happened was different from seeing it happening.

"Replay that! I want a license plate number or a face or, or... I don't know! Anything to find that van!" TJ shouted.

Gretchen zoomed in as the scene replayed but the quality of the file was to bad to see the license plate, and the two men had covered their faces with masks. The only thing she could make out was a light impression on the side of the van but that could be anything.

"There are hundreds of vans like that on the streets! How are we supposed to find that one!?" Vince questioned.

Sighing in frustration TJ sat down on a chair, trying to come up with an idea but couldn't concentrate with Mikey's rustling bag of candy.

"Mikey do you have to eat right now? I can't concentrate." He said while rubbing his temples.

"I'm sorry! I always eat when I'm worried. Do you want one?" Mikey offered TJ his bag of Swedish fish candy but he turned his offer down.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm really not hungry right now..." TJ gave the bag a strange look before he stared back at the paused picture of the van on Gretchen's laptop. Something about that light impression seemed fishy to him. Then it suddenly hit him. TJ snatched the bag away from Mikey and held it next to the laptop, much to Mikey's and everybody else's confusion.

"Hey Teej what are you doing?" Vince stared at him, waiting for a explanation.

"I think I know how we'll find that van."


	6. Break

_Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or Disney_

_Well I guess the cat is out of the bag!_

_English isn't my nativ language so if you see some mistakes please tell me so I can fix them._

* * *

"For the last time, tell me where it is!"

The ominous voice echoed through the giant hall and ringed in her ears like thunder. This guy pestered her now for hours and still didn't got the hint that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Where is what!?" She yelled back at him. "I told you that you got the wrong girl! So let me go already or I will beat you up until you're as purple as a plum!" She screamed in anger as she tugged violently on her restraints. The rope cut deeper into her wrists, leaving dark bruises on her skin as she calmed down a little bit.

"Don't play dumb girl! I know that 006 transmitted the secret coordinates of project-92 to you! One of our agents listened to your phone call with 006 before he got cut off by your people! You may be feisty girl but, believe me when I tell you, that you can't win this game!" The men knelt down to be on eye level with her, staring into her hate filled eyes.

"I tried to be nice but if you don't comply soon I will be forced to use much more... unpleasant methods. His eyes lingered on her body as a sadistic smile crept onto his face. "You wouldn't want that, would you?" He lifted her chin with his hand and forced her to look at him, as he gave her a smug grin, he added:

"If you do what I tell you... I could be very nice to you sweetheart."

Overwhelmed with disgust Spinelli collected as much salvia as she could muster, before she spat it right into his face.

"I think you got something on your face grease ball!" Spinelli sneered.

Her triumph only lasted for a few seconds before she felt the burning pain of his palm on her cheek as he slapped her.

"You despicable, nasty witch!" He yelled while he wiped her spit of his face. "You are going to regret this!" He was about to hit her a second time, and Spinelli already flinched, but the hit never came as a beeping sound was heard from within his jacket.

Checking his pager he let out a silent curse before he stuffed it back into his pocket. "Well you are lucky miss Ashley Spinelli. I have to go now, but don't think this is over!" He glared at her swollen, red cheek for a moment before he went for the hall doors. Spinelli gasped a few times before she yelled:

"Only a coward hits somebody who can't defend oneself! You stupid oaf!"

The men ignored her words before he turned off the lights and locked the doors, leaving Spinelli alone in the darkness again.

Spinelli took a few deep breaths as she tried to calm down. It slowly dawned on her in how much trouble she was, but what could she do? And why would someone spy on her phone calls? Who was 006? It all made no sense to her.

"Oh TJ I wish you would be here. I bet you would know what to do to get out of here... I'm wondering if you are looking for me, but knowing you... I bet you do." She smiled a little bit at that thought. As miserable as she felt, she knew that she could always count on her friends.

"I just hope I don't die of starvation or dehydration...that would ruin the fun." She sarcastically said to herself.

Her stomach growled painfully at that remark. Except for a cup of water earlier, she had gotten nothing from that greasy scumbag.

"Oh man I'm hungry as a lion." Spinelli groaned before she closed her eyes.

"Please hurry TJ." She whispered to the darkness.

* * *

"Teej? What are you doing?" Vince asked a second time while his friend stared at the laptop screen.

"Well I know that the chances are microscopic small but have you seen that weird blotch on the side of the van? It's hard to see but I think that this might be a delivery van that used to have prints on the sides or something like that. I got that idea when I saw Mikey's colorful candy bag. Gretchen? Can you search for recently stolen or sold white vans of this brand?" Looking at the picture of the van Gretchen mused for a few seconds before she answered.

"You know who you are talking to right?" She stretched a bit and turned to TJ with a smile. "But it could take a while so I would suggest a little break for you guys? I don't really need you here right now. I don't know, take a little walk, stretch your limbs get us a pizza and something to drink? I'm not going to eat candy, guys."

The friends looked at each other as Gus stood up from his seat and walked over to the door.

"Now that you are mentioning it...I really could need a walk. Is anybody with me?" He asked as Mikey stood up as well.

"I know a good pizza shop down the street. We could walk there if you want?" Mikey offered.

Seeing how Mikey and Gus left the room, Vince looked at his pal TJ who still glared at the laptop screen while Gretchen kept typing.

"Hey Teej? Can I talk to you for a sec outside?" He motioned with his hand to the door. TJ considered this for a moment before he gave in and followed Vince to the door. "Alright buddy. Gretch I'll be right back. I'm going to call some local car shops if they sold that van." He said as they left the room as well.

"So? What's up Vince?" TJ asked as they walked a while.

"Actually... nothing. I just wanted to get you out of that room and take a break dude. You really need one right now."

"What? Vince I don't need a break. I'm fine and I should make those phone calls now." He tried to take his phone out of his pocket but Vince stopped him as he grabbed his arm.

"Please Teej. I know how important this is to you...heck, it is important for all of us. But take it easy okay?"

TJ stared distressed at Vince "How am I supposed to relax when I know that Spin is somewhere out there waiting to be saved? What if these bastards actually hurt her? I've got no time for a break Vince!" TJ sighed.

"I think you forget that Spinelli is one of the toughest girls on the planet. She probably kicked these criminals butts by now and waits for a ride home." He said with a little laugh.

Not saying anything, TJ looked down on the floor. "I guess you're right. But I don't want to waste time you know?"

"Yeah.. Hey how about a deal? I make those phone calls and you promise me to relax a bit okay?" Vince held his hand out to TJ who gladly took it and gave it a shake.

"Okay...and thanks man."

"Don't sweat it dude"


End file.
